DVD Trams in East Germany 1966-1978 51 mins • B&W & colour

£18.25

Lovely film, shot during the communist era by maestro Ton Pruissen, showing the trams and tramway systems of Magdeburg, Halberstadt, Naumburg, Karl-Marx Stadt, Görlitz, Bad Schandau, Leipzig, Dresden and the Kirnitzschtalbahn amongst others.

The first attraction of this film is the varied trams seen, many two axle and usually seen pulling one and frequently two trailers. Most look to date from before World War 11, and I would suspect that some of the more modern in appearance have actually just been re-bodied. More modern bogie trams are seen in Leipzig and Dresden however. All current collection is by pantograph, and a good number of the trams have women drivers.

The second attraction of this is that because trams are essentially urban, you get a glimpse of how life went on in a communist state; even in the larger cities, motor traffic is remarkably light and, away from the town and city centres, largely non existent, with few people to be seen other than on the trams. In the centres there are plenty of people, but the shops appear few and rather drab.

Truly a window into a world now gone. This film has dubbed stereo sound, including some piano music, but no commentary.